Overwatch Peripherals, Settings and Posture Guide

Overwatch Peripherals, Settings and Posture Guide by heyRaxa

To preface this post, I am by no means saying you should copy any of mine/these settings or values directly. All of this is a reference and I’ll try my best to give you a reasonable range to choose from. I’m personally a hitscan DPS player, peaked at 80/79/79 on my three accounts S1, received a World Cup nomination, and have scrim experience against many top level teams. I’m only about 3600 now but haven’t really been playing competitive with school starting so have like 16 wins :’)

My word isn’t law, but it’s definitely a good reference point since most of my knowledge is accumulated from others over the internet.


Mice There’s always a ton of debate around this topic and whether a new mouse is really necessary. I’ve personally tried almost all of the more mainstream mice and in my opinion if you’re already using a newer Deathadder, Zowie, or Logitech mouse, there’s no reason to replace unless you’re into mice, want a different shape, or your old mouse is wearing out. Logitech’s 3366 sensor in most of their newer mice does not really have a notable advantage compared to the 3310’s in the newer Zowies/Steelseries mice.

That aside, if you have a cheap or old mouse, definitely consider an upgrade. The difference will be noticeable and it will help. I can’t give you too much advice on this regard because it really comes down to personal preference and hand size. As long as you’re using a mouse with a solid sensor (http://on-winning.com/flawless-sensor-mouse-list-perfect/) you’re fine as long as you’re comfortable.

Here are my thoughts however on a couple mice, these mice are all “safe bets” and will more than accommodate the majority of people:

Razer Deathadder: This is one of the most common gaming mice out there and it definitely does the job. The sensor is perfectly fine and the shape fits the majority of people. I opted against the Deathadder because I had trouble lifting the mouse due to its sightly strange rear shape which would leave it falling out of my palm. If the shape works for you, the DA is a great mouse.

Steelseries Rival: As a whole the Rival was just too large for me. I have 18 cm hands and while it was relatively comfortable, it was a little too big and I found the right/left clicks not the most satisfying to click. Logitech definitely wins over all in terms of left/right click feeling.

Zowie Series: The whole Zowie lineup is solid, it’s all about shape. Most people love the EC1 and EC2 as do I. My main complaint with the EC series was build quality, the top shell had movement in both the EC1 and EC2 for me and there was minor creaking. Keep in mind I’m extremely picky so you probably won’t notice this. Aside from that, the FK1 and FK2 are fantastic in every regard, shape will be your deciding factor when considering Zowie mice (EC, ZA, FK, etc.).

Logitech Series: These mice have the newest 3366 sensor, which is undoubtedly the most accurate and best on the market. Logitech also features the lowest response latency in almost the entire industry, as well as fantastic build quality and left/right click feeling. The biggest gripe most people had with Logitech mice was the strange shapes they made, but with the new G Pro and G403 Logitech has really shown up. There are things to consider though. Recently, Logitech has shown a ton of QC issues, from G900 era to G403. I’ve purchase multiple G900’s and G403′. There is a recurring problem of scroll wheel rattling in the wired G403’s and left/right click differences in both the G900 and G403. To top it off, Logitech support is extremely extremely slow as of now. I definitely recommend their mice, but order from somewhere like Best Buy or Amazon where you can get returns. Be warned, it might take two or more replacements to get a solid one. That aside, statistically and overall Logitech wins in every regard. I do recommend their mice.


Mousepads These are more important than most people believe and actually do have an impact on your performance.

Check out this list made by RocketJumpNinja, I’ll keep this short because I agree with almost all he says and it’s a solid foundation to go on (http://www.rocketjumpninja.com/mouse-pad-reviews/).

I personally use a Glorious PC Gaming Race XXL, it’s a very nice size and I like the texture.


Keyboards These are a big point of debate; does a mechanical keyboard really matter, and who cares about switches? Again, this will all come down to personal preference, but a mechanical keyboard beats a rubber dome in every aspect minus loudness. I’ll give a brief overview of some of the more popular Cherry MX switch types, and let you do your research on the rest :)

Cherry MX Reds: Known for being the “best” gaming switches, these are linear and light. I personally love reds for gaming as there is no noticeable actuation point and movement overall feels the most natural and controllable.

Cherry MX Browns: A middle ground between Reds and Blues, these switches are tactile but also fine for gaming. Do some research and consider these as well, many popular keyboards (Razer) sport Brown switches or a variant of Brown (Green).

Cherry MX Blues: These keys are known for being amazing for typing, and I agree completely. I personally cannot game on these switches, they are too tactile and the actuation point is a bit hard to reset and control. This is personal preference, but I definitely would use blues purely for typing.

It’s really hard to decide based on just text, so consider purchasing a Cherry MX switch set online to test various switches.


Sensitivity Another point of major debate. You’ll see arguments like low sens is better, and some people even use different sensitivities for different heroes (don’t do that, it’s bad for muscle memory). As a whole, I do think lower sensitivities provide more control but don’t overdo it. A very common sensitivty for hitscan DPS players (and what I use) is 400 DPI at 8 in game sens, or 800 DPI at 4 in game. Any lower than this and I’m not comfortable reliably killing Genji/Tracer. However- a high sensitivity is NOT bad as long as you stay in a reasonable range. I’d say any higher than 400 DPI at 14 in game sens is pushing it for a hitscan player, but for an offtank or projectile DPS player that might work out perfectly fine. Use what’s comfortable for you, and don’t switch around all the time just because X pro uses this or that. Pick a sens and stick with it, it’ll build muscle memory and that’s what makes you good/consistent.

Here’s a list of what various pro players use that can help you make a decision:http://on-winning.com/overwatch-pro-sensitivity-settings-setups-monitor-mouse-keyboard-headset/


Posture, Arm, Wrist This extends a little past the range of the two handed coverage I promimsed, but this is also very important. To start off, I believe arm aiming is superior to wrist aiming. It allows for lower sensitivities (translating to better control and more consistency) and also reduces the risk of RSI and carpal tunnel. A study done by the well known Dr. Levi showed that players would utilized higher sensitivities and wrist aiming as a whole had more cases of RSI and carpal tunnel.

Here’s how in general you should setup your posture. When your shoulders are relaxed, both arms should rest on the desk at a 90 degree angle. This may mean lowering your desk, elevating your chair, or even using a foot rest. Keyboard tilting is fine, but avoid sticking your elbow outwards.

Here are some articles by Dr. Levi that address posture and mice:

(http://drleviharrison.com/mouse-sensitivity-gaming-rsi/)

(http://drleviharrison.com/proper-keyboard-placement-in-gaming/)

As a last general rule, your monitor should be somewhere near arm’s length away (mine’s a little closer) and your eye level should be in the upper third of your monitor.


From Gregthecarblind: Do not put too much pressure on your elbows or on your wrist for long periods of times. Relax it for 5 mins every 30 mins or after a game. Had a personal experience with this and got cubital tunnel syndrome. If you are an active gamer like me, this will seriously mess up your play, and you will most likely have to go for a surgery. (The biggest symptom from this is the numbing of your little and ring finger).


Cable Management This is a very small point, and I’ll briefly talk about it. I personally do not like my mouse cable dragging across the desk and rubbing against the mousepad, so I use a mouse bungee (I recommend the Thermaltake Scorpion style bungee on Amazon). Alternatively, you can tape your mouse cord to the side of the monitor as a makeshift bungee. This is completely not necessary, but if the cable drag is bothering you do consider it.


Aiming Styles The two techniques I’ll focus on here are flicking, and tracking. Both are methods a good hitscan DPS player needs to learn. Widow and McCree are more of flick heroes, and Tracer and Soldier are tracking heroes.

Both are pretty self explanatory, but here’s a video Taimou created that shows an effetive technique for practicing your aim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VysgMqzU3Qk

One method is not unarguably better than the other, but as a whole McCree and Widow play off tracking and small flicks and Soldier/Tracer are pure tracking. It is also good to learn both techniques since they’ll help with other heroes as well.


Aim Practice Aside from the Taimou clip shown earlier, something else that’s helpful is playing against bots in a Custom Game. Add Lucios/Anas to the other team, boost your damage to 200% and turn on headshots only in skirmish mode. While this isn’t really the deathmatch feature we all desire, it’s the best we can get and it will definitely help, if more for warmup than anything else.


Mentality This is the last point I want to talk about, and it’s important! If you want to climb, and if you want to get better, fix your mentality. Drop the “I carry 4 gold me god” mentality and play to look to improve. You have to have the constant drive to get better and be able to analyze your mistakes. Don’t get tilted, turn off communication if you have to, but focus on analyzing your deaths and understanding what went wrong.

I guarantee that if you are NOT a problem in every single game you play and you’re playing 100% effectively that:

  1. you should be a pro player lol
  2. you should be climbing easily

There’s always room for improvement, there are always better positions you could have taken or better approaches to fights. Think in this mentality and you’ll see yourself improving.


Anyways, I hope this guide was helpful! If I missed anything, or if you have any questions or want something else covered, shoot in the comments!

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